According to reports, Io Shirai is “pretty much gone” from WWE NXT.
As PWMania.com previously reported, if Shirai did not accept the terms of her new contract offer, she would become a free agent the next month, and the most recent information indicated that she had not re-signed.
Shirai is believed to be “pretty much gone” from the company, according to a new report from Wrestling Observer Radio, with one foot out the door.
Shirai reportedly informed individuals in Japan that she intended to move back to Japan to be nearer to her family after her WWE contract expired. Shirai would be free to do whatever she wants, unlike Kairi Sane, who was forced to wait until the conclusion of her contract because she quit mid-contract and started to work as a WWE Ambassador in Japan in order to return home.
Shirai was expected to return to ring activity “relatively soon,” according to a report from the end of June, but no specific date was given. Since working the Fatal 4 Way that saw NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose retain her title over Shirai, Alba Fyre, and the newly crowned NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion Cora Jade during the NXT Stand & Deliver event over WrestleMania 38 Weekend, Shirai has not engaged in professional wrestling.
Shirai’s injury was never acknowledged, and neither its severity nor its specifics have been confirmed, although WWE officials had hoped that Shirai would return for the summer. This latest report suggests that she might not actually make a comeback to ring activity.
Shirai seemly reacted to these reports today:
Rumors?
— 紫雷イオ、Io Shirai (@shirai_io) July 12, 2022
